"Oh?" Wei Yu's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, "What kind of villain, and why are they pursuing you?"
"They're not any great figures, just a few small-time thieves from the Jianghu. As for why they're chasing me..."
Cheng Jingxue gently played with her long hair that fell to her waist. "They covet my beauty and want to make me their lady of the village. I would rather die than comply, so they've been chasing me all the way."
Upon hearing this, Wei Yu was filled with righteous indignation, patting his chest and saying, "Miss, rest assured, I, Wei Yu, would never let such villains go unpunished upon encountering them, to ensure your safety."
"Oh? Does Young Master Wei really have such skills?"
Wei Yu straightened his back proudly and said,
"Naturally."
"Alright, if that's the case, then I thank Young Master Wei in advance," Cheng Jingxue said with a smile.
Seeing the beauty smile, Wei Yu felt his heart fill with strength, eager to showcase some of his skills for Cheng Jingxue to see.
At this moment, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the door, and the inn's main door was kicked open from the outside.
A cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed into the hall, instantly dispersing the warmth that had been accumulated with great effort.
The waiter wanted to step forward to check, but was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly.
Because just then, a few burly men walked in from outside.
These men were all tall and fierce-looking, clearly people of the Jianghu, so the waiter naturally dared not greet them.
These burly men, once in the hall, immediately spotted Cheng Jingxue sitting in the corner and shouted aloud.
"Witch, you indeed hid here, making us search all over."
Upon seeing these burly men, Cheng Jingxue couldn't help but sigh.
"Iron Forging Manor is truly relentless, isn't it? It's been half a month and you still won't give up?"
"Enough talk, hand over the items quickly, or you'll suffer," the leading burly man barked.
Cheng Jingxue ignored him, instead turning her head to Wei Yu.
"Young Master Wei, these are the people who are pursuing me. Can you deal with them for me?"
Seeing these tall, robust men with strong Qi blood, Wei Yu initially felt intimidated.
But somehow, upon hearing Cheng Jingxue's words, an infinite courage suddenly surged within him.
"Of course, I can."
With that, Wei Yu stood up and coldly said to these burly men,
"Did you not hear what Miss Cheng just said? She told you to leave immediately, or don't blame me for being unkind."
"Where did this brat come from? Get lost!"
The burly men didn't bother with Wei Yu's words. The leading man lunged forward, throwing a punch.
Wei Yu shouted, "Good timing!"
He then raised his fist to meet it.
Bang.
A muffled thud.
The two fists collided, and a pained expression appeared on Wei Yu's face. He couldn't control himself and stumbled back a few steps.
"A Martial Artist of the Second Realm?" Wei Yu's eyes filled with horror.
He never expected that even a random burly man would be a Martial Artist at Great Success in Muscle Strengthening.
But these burly men gave Wei Yu no time to react. The leading man mercilessly kicked toward Wei Yu's abdomen.
If this kick landed, Wei Yu would be severely injured, if not dead.
Wei Yu dodged to the side, barely avoiding the kick, but in the next moment, the burly man delivered an elbow strike, accompanied by the sound of wind, aiming for Wei Yu's face.
Wei Yu was terrified, bending down with all his might, narrowly dodging the elbow strike that grazed the top of his head.
"Stop... stop, let's talk this over," Wei Yu couldn't help but shout.
But the burly man, taking advantage of the situation, paid no heed to his protest, suddenly thrusting his knee forward.
Wei Yu couldn't avoid it this time, no matter what.
"Ah..."
"Spare him!"
Two cries resounded simultaneously.
The scream came from Wei Yu, who was sent flying by the blow, while the plea came from Luo Qiang, who had just arrived upon hearing the commotion.
Unfortunately, he was a step too late.
With a bang, Wei Yu crashed into the back wall, spat out a mouthful of blood, then slowly knelt on the ground, unable to move.
Seeing this, Luo Qiang's face turned pale, glaring at the burly men and Cheng Jingxue sitting to the side.
"Why did you use such brutality?"
"Heh, blame your subordinate for overestimating himself despite lacking skill when dealing with Iron Forging Manor."
Iron Forging Manor!
Upon hearing this name, Luo Qiang was greatly shocked.
While Wei Yu and others may not know, Luo Qiang, an old hand in the Escort Agency for many years, was all too aware of Iron Forging Manor.
It's an armory renowned in Wuxiang City, and even in Yunxiao County.
They specialize in crafting various weapons, especially knives and swords.
Their Sect Leader has reached the Skin Grinding Realm, a genuine Martial Artist of the Fourth Realm.
Such a powerful entity is naturally not someone Luo Qiang would dare to offend.
In fact, even Chief of the Escort Meng Lei would have to be polite to them if present.
Zhao Ya noticed Luo Qiang's expression, secretly noting the name Iron Forging Manor, then looked over at Wei Yu.
At this moment, someone had already gone to check, only to find Wei Yu lying motionless on the ground, his face as pale as paper. Zhao Ya couldn't help but shake his head silently.
This can't be blamed on others; it can only be blamed on Wei Yu for overestimating himself.
Did he really think that gaining some fame at the Changlong Escort Agency allowed him to wander the Jianghu freely?
This lesson couldn't be more profound.
Zhao Ya silently reminded himself.
By now, the burly men had surrounded Cheng Jingxue.
"Miss Cheng, our Manor Master said that if you obediently return the Meteorite Iron Treasure Saber, he can forgive the past and not trouble you anymore, what do you say?" the leading burly man said coldly.
"Heh, easy for you to say. The Meteorite Iron Treasure Saber was personally given to me by your Young Manor Master. What? Now you want to go back on your word?" Cheng Jingxue said calmly.
"Witch, that was never the Young Manor Master's intention. You tricked him into believing you would marry him, so he gave you the manor's treasure. Hand it over now, and both sides can leave with dignity, or Iron Forging Manor won't rest until one of us is dead."
"Alright then, feel free to come at me. Let me see what it means to not rest until one's dead," Cheng Jingxue scoffed.
Just as she spoke, the burly men attacked simultaneously. Under the force of their fists, the cups and tables shattered instantly.
But Cheng Jingxue, seated at the center of the storm, remained unperturbed, instead slowly raising her head and smiling brilliantly.
This smile was like the descent of a celestial maiden, exuding an overwhelming allure.
In an instant, where her gaze fell, the burly men in the midst of punching paused, confusion appearing on their faces.
Though it was but a momentary pause, it was already enough.
In that instant, Cheng Jingxue leapt up, transforming into a white blur, darting toward the outside.
"Stop her!" the leading burly man roared.
Two of them reached into the pouches on their backs, pulled out hand crossbows, and fired at Cheng Jingxue in the air.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Crossbow arrows zoomed toward Cheng Jingxue with lightning speed.
However, Cheng Jingxue suddenly spun in the air, drawing a large arc before darting toward Zhao Ya and the others.
Luo Qiang's expression changed drastically, and he immediately shouted, "Get down!"
In fact, there was no need for Luo Qiang's command; Zhao Ya had already taken cover to the side.
But the other porters didn't react as quickly.
Seeing Cheng Jingxue approaching and the Iron Forging Manor people firing their crossbows again,
Over a dozen crossbow arrows flew through the air, indiscriminately attacking, regardless of any innocents present.
Zhao Ya, seeing this, focused his gaze and kicked the table in front of him.
The thick, solid wood table flew up, perfectly blocking the oncoming rain of arrows.
It was at this moment that the porters finally reacted and scrambled to evade.
And just then, taking advantage of the obstruction Zhao Ya and others caused for Iron Forging Manor, Cheng Jingxue broke through the window and quickly vanished into the distance.
"After her!"
The burly men from Iron Forging Manor all chased after her.